Hazelburn 8yo (55.9%, OB, Sauternes Wood, 9180 bts, D’ 06/08 B’ 02/11)

A young Hazelburn (distilled at Springbank Distillery). Hazelburn is Springbanks 3 x distilled unpeated whisky and this has spent the fist 5 years in refill bourbon cask and 3 years in Sauternes casks. Happily the math works. On the nose there is an initial sweet and sour and then (pow!) some really rich raisiny richness followed by the characteristic Springbank ‘wet cotton’. All in all it’s very rich and luxurious however the Springbank character is still quite evident. The taste is dry with lots of wood notes and some hints of leather and tobacco and then after a moment or two the rich raisin is very much in evidence and the dryness is quite enchanting since it is not overly oaked but just nicely dry. A bit of a departure from the nose but still quite excellent. The finish is warming with the sweet and sour as mentioned on the nose and it’s very long and good. Perhaps a bit closer to the taste than the nose but no matter since it’s very “moreish” and after a moment or two some really excellent malt comes bashing through.

Really quite excellent.

$84 or £49.99 from the Whisky Barrel

Score 89 points

Upcoming Events

Please join us for the following events this summer:

June 21st:
CigarBQue
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
An intimate evening of fine cigars, food prepared by some of the country’s best chefs (Rick Gresh of David Burke’s Primehouse, Giuseppe Tentori of GT Fish & Oyster and Boka, and Cleetus Friedman of City Provisions), beer, wine and Templeton Rye cocktails by Benjamin Schiller, Eric Hay, Fred Sarkis and Dan De Oliveira. For more information visit cigarbque.com.

Beyond Design
4515 N Ravenswood Avenue
Chicago, IL

June 22nd:
Manhattan Mayhem
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Join us for an interactive cocktail gathering. Click here to download a flyer for the event.

1776 Restaurant
397 W Virginia Street
Crystal Lake, IL

June 24th:
East Bay Shoes & Cue
Linden Street Brewery
95 Linden Street
Oakland, CA

June 28th:
Prosciutto of Happiness Hour
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Join us in toasting the success of America’s efforts towards Ham Independence with La Quercia’s Herb Eckhouse! Vertical tasting of La Quercia’s heritage acorn-fed prosciutto paired with Tempelton Rye cocktail.
Click here to download a flyer for the event.

Bar Toma
110 E Pearson Street
Chicago, IL

July 11th:
Speakeasy Party
The Edison
108 W 2nd Street #101
Los Angeles, CA

July 15th:
Iowa Shoes & Cue
3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Jasper Winery
2400 George Flagg Parkway
Des Moines, IA

July 17th:
Whiskey Dinner
Four courses/five cocktails for $65 plus tax and gratuity. Welcome reception with first cocktail and passed hor’d oeuvres begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m.
80 seats available – call (515) 221- 3474 for reservations.

Trostel’s Dish
12851 University Avenue #400
Clive, IA

July 18th:
Presentation by Scott Bush
Pearson Lakes Art Center
2201 Highway 71 N
Okoboji, IA

July 18th:
Mobile Speakeasy
Location TBD
Okoboji, IA

July 19th:
Mobile Speakeasy
Location TBD
Clear Lake, IA

July 24th:
Mobile Speakeasy
RAGBRAI
Lake View, IA

August 5th:
Iowa Cubs Tailgate
Principal Park
Des Moines, IA

September 1st:
Iowa / Northern Illinois Tailgate
Soldier Field
Chicago, IL

New Arrivals at The Whisky Vault – June 2012 

Recent additions to the website include a couple of the excellent SMWS bottling’s, a fantastic Glen Flagler and a couple of brilliant Ardbeg’s! 

Ardbeg 1972, Single Cask 866, 48.3% ABV, 70CL – £1299 This Islay malt was distilled in 1972, in cask number 866, and was bottled for Oddbins in 2004, reportedly selling out within 90 minutes of its release! 

Ardbeg 1967 32 Year Old, Old Malt Cask Bottling, 47.5% ABV, 70CL – £1099 This cask strength Ardbeg was distilled in 1967, matured for 32 years, and bottled for The Old Malt Cask series in 1999. One of just 185. 

Brora 1976 12 Year Old, SMWS 61.1, 63.6% ABV, 75CL – £1499

This excellent 12 year old Highland malt, was distilled in 1976 and bottled for The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in 1989. Known to be the first ever single cask bottling from the now silent Brora. 

Bowmore 1957 38 Year Old, 40.1% ABV, 70CL  – £2999 An outstanding Bowmore that was distilled in 1957, picked up a fantastic 93 points from the experts at WhiskyFun. 

Glen Flagler 1973 29 Year Old, 46% ABV, 70CL – £999 This 29 year old Lowland malt was distilled in 1973 at the now silent Glen Flagler distillery. Said to be the last ever distillery bottling. 

Glenmorangie 1974 Millennium Bottling, 43% ABV, 50CL – £375 A superb limited edition 50CL that was distilled in 1974 and bottled to commemorate the new millennium in 1999. 

Visit the website at http://www.thewhiskyvault.com/ to view all the latest products and an existing catalogue of the world’s most sought after and rare whiskies.

The Whisky Vault Ltd

Web: http://www.thewhiskyvault.com/

Enquiries: mail@thewhiskyvault.com

The L.A. Whisky Society thinks so… (please clcik on the link below to read the article)…

THE LINK

SOUTHERN COMFORT DEBUTS LINGO COPS CAMPAIGN

Becomes First Spirits Brand To Use Crowdsourced TV Spots

June, 2012, LOUISVILLE, KY – Southern Comfort is debuting a two month national television and online video campaign to support the Southern Comfort and Cola call drink. The “Lingo Cops” series begins airing the week of June 4.

After conducting a crowdsourcing assignment for the newest Southern Comfort advertising campaign, the “Lingo Cops” series was selected. People submitted their commercials through Poptent (www.poptent.com), an online community of creative videographers looking to have their ideas and work adopted by major brands and high-profile organizations. The assignment asked creators to put together a 30-second spot messaging “Southern Comfort & Cola” to consumers. The selected series will help launch the Southern Comfort & Cola ad campaign through the summer via broadcast TV and online digital media. The spots can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/southerncomfort

Poptent member RezFX, a three-person production group based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, conceived and developed three parallel “Lingo Cops” spots to drive user engagement and get consumer input on a new drink name for Southern Comfort & Cola. The first will air on TV, asking viewers to check-out Facebook, where two other ads further drive engagement around the new drink name.

“While Southern Comfort is one of the most versatile spirits on the market, the simple Southern Comfort & Cola has long been a signature drink for the brand,” said John Tichenor, VP, Group Brand Director, Southern Comfort. “This new ad campaign highlights how well SoCo & Cola go together in a humorous way through the introduction of the Lingo Cops.”

The two month national television buy will include commercials on ESPN, TBS, FX, NBC Sports Network, Comedy Central along with the first ever network TV airing for Southern Comfort on late night programs. Two versions of the commercial will air, one messaging Southern Comfort and Cola while another will message Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry, a new product launching this summer from Southern Comfort.

About Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort®, a fruit, spice, and whiskey flavored liqueur, was created in New Orleans by bartender M.W. Heron in 1874. Today, it is enjoyed by friends in over 100 countries around the world and continues to grow as an icon brand. Please visit us at SouthernComfort.com and facebook.com/southerncomfort.

About Poptent

Poptent (www.poptent.com) is a global video production company which harnesses the collective skills of a powerful social network of nearly 50,000 videographers in 140 countries to produce commercials and other video assets for Fortune 500 brands and agencies. Providing end-to-end video services, Poptent works with clients to develop high-quality commercials and other video content with unprecedented speed and at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Brands which “Poptent” their videos have access to Poptent’s global creative talent pool and take advantage of its attendant treasure trove of creative ideas. Poptent creators benefit through industry networking and the other resources available to them at Poptent, and by having their work seen, reviewed and potentially purchased by leading brands and ad agencies. Poptent’s principal offices are in Southern California and suburban Philadelphia, with regional sales offices in New York, Chicago, and other key US markets. The company also opened an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil in mid-2011.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

The Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship 2012

Winners Announced

On Friday 15th June, whisky enthusiasts from all over Australia flew in to compete in the biennial Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship. A major event on the Australian whisky calendar ever since 1989, this year a record 64 competitors and a large number of spectators gathered in the Dinosaur Gallery at The Australian Museum in Sydney to put their tastebuds to the test and find out who would be the newly-crowned Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Champion.

With everyone seated, competitors had 30 minutes to assess the eight whiskies poured before them in a blind-tasting format. Each competitor was provided with a list of nine possible whiskies – the eight on the table, plus one red herring. The task was to correctly identify which whisky was which.

This year’s line up of whiskies featured a large number of Speyside malts that were similar in style, and it took some pretty experienced and knowledgeable palates to discern them apart. And so to the winners:

Alan Forrest, a third time competitor from Adelaide, took out the title with a clear winning margin. Alan’s reward, apart from significant bragging rights, is two places on The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s upcoming “Ultimate Whisky Tour to Tasmania”, including airfares & accommodation. 1st prize is valued at over $3,500.

The defending Champion from 2010, Jack Turek from Sydney, showed that his previous victory was no fluke by again featuring on the podium, this time taking out 2nd place. Jack’s prize was a selection of rare Scotch Malt Whisky Society whiskies, valued at over $1,000.

First time competitor, Simon Clarke from Sydney, made an impressive debut, taking out 3rd place. Jack and Simon were tied on equal points after the main round, and it took a hard-fought taste-off to split them for the minor placings. Simon’s prize is a series of tickets to attend upcoming whisky tasting events held by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, valued at over $350.

At the conclusion of the competition, all participants and spectators retreated to the other end of the Dinosaur Gallery for an impressive afterparty, which was generously sponsored by William Grant & Sons, through their flagship single malts Glenfiddich & Balvenie. In addition to serving a great line up of malts from both of these distilleries, they also served up a number of delicious whisky cocktails and whisky chocolates, again using Glenfiddich malt as the key ingredient. The party kicked on into the night…

Notes

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society began in the late 1970’s when a group of discerning friends in Edinburgh bought a single cask of malt whisky and shared it amongst themselves. The group of friends grew and grew, with subsequent cask purchases, and in 1983, the group syndicated as a Society.

Today, the Society has over 25,000 members around the world with branches in 14 countries. It bottles over 300 single casks a year for its members from a range of more than 129 distilleries.

Members can choose from the world’s widest selection of single cask, single malt whiskies with only the very best selected and approved by the Society’s respected Tasting Panel.

The Society has been active in Australia since 2002, holding extremely popular and well-attended frequent whisky tasting nights in each of the capital cities around Australia all through the year for both its members and the general public.

The Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship is a blind tasting competition that has been run in Australia since 1989. It was held annually in Adelaide from 1989 until 2002, then was in recess for six years until the Scotch Malt Whisky Society resurrected the competition in 2008. It is open to national and international competitors, and is now a biennial event held in Sydney.

Photographs from the event will be available very shortly.

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #12

In his 12th Whisky Rambling on video, Belgian whisky blogger Mark Dermul takes us again to an iconic movie location from Star Wars in Tunisia (this time the Lars Homestead interior, the home of Luke Skywalker, the Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata, Tunisia in real life), where he tries the Bowmore 17 Year Old. May the Malt/Force be with you!

http://youtu.be/HZBfUVSZLYk

We just returned from an epic journey over the single track roads of Scotland. We found six whiskies that are ARCHIVES worthy. A sixteen years old Imperial that is malty, a little sweet and perfectly balanced. A Glenrothes 1988 that everyones seems to love because it’s so delicious. From the Lowlands a sherried Littlemill that soon will as legendary as the previous one we released. A nicely bodied Longmorn from 1992 that makes everybody smile. We’re especially proud of the 24 years old Isle of Jura, let’s describe this one as distinctive, special and very good. Finally a Tomintoul from the sixties. A dram of this 42 years old Tomintoul can keep you busy for quite some time, an old complex whisky that’s not too woody and has a nice finish.

You can try all six bottlings on our tasting on Tuesday June 26th in Grand Café Branco in Rotterdam. The tasting starts at 19.30 hour. Please email us your name and we’ll reserve a seat for you.

www.whiskybase.com

Limited Edition Fifteen Year Old

Tomatin Distillery has announced the launch of a limited edition brand extension to the Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky range.

The new release is an exceptionally high quality spirit which has been matured for over 15 years in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Tempranillo wine casks. It was agreed that 52% was the optimum strength for achieving the perfect balance between flavour, body and overall mouth feel. The result is a whisky which is dominated by deep fruity aromas softened by a sweet candy flavour with a long lasting and very creamy finish.

Graham Eunson, Distillery Manager, explains how this new edition came to be: “I’ve always found the interaction between the casks and the whisky fascinating and this expression of Tomatin is no exception.

The intensity of the wine casks is gently softened by the use of second fill ex-bourbons to achieve a perfect balance. The combination of flavours and aromas achieved by the use of these differing casks is fantastic.

There’s always a sense of anticipation and excitement when you experience a potential new whisky for the first time and in this case, those emotions were well justified.”

This product is available now and support communications including a film with Graham Eunson will be available via Tomatin’s social media channels; Facebook, Twitter & YouTube.

Available: 3,150 bottles

Distribution: Worldwide

Price: RRP £49.99 per 70cl bottle ($79.99 USA)

TASTING NOTES

Aroma: Deep fruity aromas are dominant with plums, blackberries and fresh grapefruit taking centre stage. Softens with hints of vanilla, tobacco leaves, beeswax and sugar candy.
Palate: The sweet candy flavour plays a major role in the overall structure of this single malt. Like the nose the palate is rewarded with some big fruity flavours – bananas, crunchy green apples and poached pears – which are nicely balanced with the drying tannins and white pepper.
Finish: Once the spiciness subsides the finish is long lasting and very creamy.

NOTES
• The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends.
• The Bourbon casks are second fill and the whisky within has matured in them since 1996. The whisky in the Tempranillo casks was originally laid down in 1994 before transferring to theses casks in August 2008, for in excess of 3 years’ finishing in a traditional dunnage warehouse.
• Website: www.tomatin.com Facebook: facebook.com/Tomatin1897  Twitter: @Tomatin1897 YouTube: youtube.com/user/tomatin1897